There is no question that energy and energy consumption has been a fundamental part of society for more than a century. Furthermore, fueling our ever-growing appetite for electricity from the industrial level down to personal usage is an ongoing concern for most Americans. Electricity is costly. Issues with natural resources such as oil and its gasoline byproduct are well documented. Oil reserves are being depleted as part of an industry that is so weighted on our society that it is even considered by many to be a national security issue. Costs are always in flux as gasoline shortages are never out of the realm of possibility. In the case of even the handiest of personal generators, the individual's use and need for electricity will go only as far as his or her supply of gasoline, which again, is a resource that is out of the control of nearly all persons. And the harnessing of many of these sources of energy often results in costly or environmentally dangerous byproducts as well. As a result, alternative forms of energy to fuel such items as vehicles has been emphasized from the presidential level on down. Hydrogen fuel cells are one major example of a viable alternative to typical gasoline-powered vehicles although the harnessing and propagation of this clean source of energy is underdeveloped. This form of energy is exciting to many people because unlike usual emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles, those that operate with hydrogen fuel cells simply emit water.
Moreover, this issue is especially relevant for those involved in maritime work. For example, if a fisherman or other boater runs out of gas or springs a leak far from shore, he or she is dependent on other factors such as radio and is therefore limited in his own survival techniques. The same goes for an offshore facility that may not be able to resupply its power supply due to various potential circumstances. And these reasons barely reiterate the issues of fuel supply and costs. Boats and ships often need to refuel which of course takes time and money, a factor that can have reciprocal effects on the marketplace. The same can go for coastal operations.
Nuclear power also has its critics in regards to waste, perceived danger, regulation and other issues. In addition, this form of propagating electricity is useful on power grids or large Navy ships and submarines, but not so much away from this network, which again, places the user at the whim of the power company and government for their electrical needs. This desire for cleaner and abundant sources for electrical power has prompted some forward thinkers to come up with various methods to employ natural power to convert into electricity. Some use solar panels which stores and converts energy from the sun. Others attempt to harness the power of the wind. It should be noted that this clean and noble effort often faces conflict from those that believe the giant modern windmills are either not cost effective, an eyesore or both. These natural methods continue to be impractical in many cases, especially applied to vehicles. In the case of vehicles, gasoline has had a long and sordid history with gasoline dependence and propagation. A fuel source that is generated cleanly and efficiently from an unlimited source would have an amazing impact.
There is a need for a clean, renewable apparatus for continuously taking a natural source in order to propagate hydrogen in a manner that is not only efficient and cost-effective, but also portable enough to make it practical for entities ranging from individuals to corporate enterprises operating on the sea. A generator that utilizes the motion of sea waves to ultimately propagate and store the hydrogen contained in the water to be used as useful energy in such items as vehicle fuel cells can solve many energy problems that face not only coastal and maritime individuals and businesses, but many other enterprises as well. The fact that the portable sea-powered electrolysis generator apparatus engages a process that is clean and harnesses the power of sea waves, an occurrence that encompasses more than two-thirds of the Earth's surface, is an important and useful achievement. As described below, nothing else compares with the unique aspects of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 163,451 issued to Buckner on May 18, 1875 is a device that, attached to a water-side pier, produces electricity by converting the rocking motion of waves into electricity. Unlike the present invention, this device is limited in capability to the shore and is not meant to handle the relatively larger waves found farther out to sea.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,179,537 issued to Zoppa on Nov. 14, 1939 is a device that gathers the up-and-down wave movement with weights and an arm-like apparatus to harness energy. Unlike the present invention, this device is limited in its efficiency and scope because it is only capable of operating intermittently from the up-and-down motion to the extent of 50 percent instead of continuously.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,967,413 issued to Atiya on Nov. 22, 2005 is a device that extracts energy from ocean tides and offshore wind. Unlike the present invention, this device is a very large and stationary facility that is restricted to only one location and its location requires a large-scale construction endeavor and is not meant to be portable or accessible for smaller enterprises.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,759,757 issued to Campbell on Jul. 6, 2004 is a device that employs a paddle wheel to create hydrogen for hydrogen fuel cells. Unlike the present invention, this device is limited to harnessing energy from the larger ocean tides and cannot detect and maximize the results of the motion from smaller types of waves.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,663 issued to Rusby on May 25, 1976 is a device that converts the energy from the rising tides into electricity. Unlike the present invention, this device is limited to areas and times where high tide conditions exist and is not conducive to unique continuing, adaptability or location needs.
A need has been established for a portable generator that uses the rocking motion of sea waves to harness its full energy potential to ultimately employ a process for the storage of the hydrogen contained in the water for use in such items as vehicle fuel cells. It is not enough to have a bulky, immobile generator that is far from full efficiency. Those operating at or near the sea need a clean, renewable power generator that can be taken with them at all times and not constrained by tidal issues. In addition, they need a level of power efficiency that is practical and can adapt to the myriad operations and individual needs that occur on or near the sea. The present invention is portable enough to operate anywhere from near the shore to out in the middle of the ocean at a practical and high level of efficiency. Therefore, the present invention satisfies the needs of those who require an alternative to conventional oil-based power by using the same elements of many of their livelihoods—the sea—to propagate a clean, affordable, efficient and practical energy source in the form of hydrogen to suit their unique needs at the location and times of this need irrespective of tide or any other conditions. The electrolysis method also is preferred because unlike other forms of energy, the byproduct of the present invention is oxygen as opposed to a toxin or other costly environmental element. This need also includes the notion that a wave-powered apparatus should operate in a position above the salt water in order to avoid barnacles and other adverse effects from the brine. The present invention satisfies that need as well.